The ancient jewelry of Nepal stands out from others, because few are the modern cultures that, over the years, have kept the traditional use of their headdresses and jewelry as ostentatious like this small country in the Himalayas, South Asia, north of India. This isolated land has been able to keep the tradition of its striking jewelry that dates back thousands of years in the past, even in the twenty first century.
Their jewels are one of the most striking features of its people, who are mostly Hindu despite their strong Buddhist past, so the headdresses, adornments and details are present in their daily lives. Due to this, the women of Nepal as well as Tibet usually wear large pieces of jewelry, where the golden color stands out among reds and turquoise, in pieces that can be noticed in detail by their rustic marks when they are made, since they are always madly hand, not by machines.
Jewelry precisely covers an important role in the society and culture of Tibet and Nepal. It is part of their usual attire, representing both a religious symbol and everyday life. For them, in addition to fulfilling an aesthetic role, jewelry in many cases also represents an amulet for protection or to win the favor of some gods.
Generally, Nepalese jewelry is made of copper or silver, but 24-karat gold is also used for the elaboration of beautiful and detailed pieces, whose metal is never spared, resulting in a heavy and bulky piece but quite exotic and striking.
The gemstones in the jewelery of Nepal are mostly represented by coral and turquoise due to the symbolism of their colors, the latter being linked with the infinite sky and the rise of the mind to it. However, precious stones are also present in the jewelry of this ancient nation such as ruby and sapphire. Similarly, semiprecious stones such as amethyst, amber, jade, garnet, agate and lapis lazuli are also important in their jewelry. Even carved yak bone, a typical animal in this culture, is used in their beautiful jewelry.
Finally, it should be noted that Nepalese jewelry often represents words in Sanskrit, an ancient dead language in which many of their religious books are written.
Due to all this and much more, the ancient and traditional Nepalese jewelry deserves to be known for its exuberant creations that currently preserve millenary techniques with details and unique engravings, which are a relic in modern times for being registered in their work, a traditional and ancestral knowledge that undoubtedly deserves to transcend and preserve itself, from a region as exotic as Nepal.
ALFA